Before coaching GB you did a couple of seasons in Ireland working with the U21 and Senior players. That must have been a really tough job without much (if any break) working with more than one team.

Coaching Ireland was really hard work as you have stated, but I must say that it was good fun and worth while from a reward point of view. I had some really good, very keen young players to work with, who responded well. Also the senior team took on the information that I had to offer about how to change their game to suit international polo and I believe they have subsequently taken this on and raised the level of polo in Ireland.

Initially you started coaching GB along side Mike Moffit. Would you say it’s easier or harder coaching with someone else ?

During training and doing the tactical side of polo I prefer to work alone, then there is no conflict of ideas. However with experience I feel that when on the back line in a game situation or with off the water issues you do need a strong partner who can support you with getting the point across and sharing the burden of squad discipline.

I understand you are not reapplying to continue as Senior Men’s GB Coach.

No! Coaching GB takes away a great deal of your own personal time. I believe that I have given two good years of my experience back to a sport that gave me some good life experiences and I am now concentrating on my family and myself.

Having played in the GB polo quads yourself some ten years ago, how would you say the level of play is by comparison to today’s standards ?

I would say that the level of individual skill and fitness has increased, the tactics are very similar, but the team game ethic is still quite away short of where it needs to be, a strong team will always overcome a group of skilful individuals.

Complete team tactics are always practised but in my experience hardly ever executed!

An example of this was our team of 1995, looked weak on paper with lots of new faces, but took gold from a solid team effort.

From your knowledge of current British and foreign players, where do you think GB polo is going in the next four years ?

I think that GB polo could still be very strong within the World and European championships; there are enough players with experience on the senior team, some very naturally skilful U21 players and space available for players who have not yet made the squad. So with that in mind I would say GB polo is in good shape and still one of the top nations in the world.

Do you think the only way into the Senior Squad team is through the U21 Squad or is there still options for direct entry ?

If you had asked me this a 10 years ago I would have said its open, (I got in it! From a div 2 side at that time) if you had asked me 4 years ago I would have said questionable, if you asked me for the 2 years I have been involved then I would say that it is back open and if you look at the squad last year you could see that.

What comes first, Squad or Club ?

From a player’s point of view, you need your club team to get you to a level and to keep you at that level, so you owe them to be at your best for all competitions. However with the training that is involved to be the best at international level and the requirement of peaking for an event, then a player needs to tailor what he is doing to get the best from his/her body, this may involve putting country before club and picking only the most important club events to attend. So to answer your question, both, but with a balance.

Having been to the Olympics as an athlete in C2, what do you think about Canoe Polo being in the Olympics ?

Prior to attending the World Games last year I thought that Polo would not be suitable for the Olympics, too many teams and too much organisation required, however now that I have seen and participated in that event I believe that polo could be a great spectacle for the Olympics, obviously it would need to be run with the same principles as the world games, top teams, top referees and solid organisation.

Over the years there has been a lot of talk on the international circuit. Do you think generally this sport should be played inside or out ?

Ideally the sport should be played in neutral conditions, that is two good teams, two good referees and the same conditions in both halves, ie goals to the same height and atmospheric conditions the same, in reality the outside competitions, we know that this rarely happens.

With the next World Champs (2008) in Edmonton, AB, Canada, what do you think about the idea of the early games being played outside with the finals being played inside ?

Not so sure about this! A good idea when time and pool areas are at a premium, may be the first rounds are OK outside but the second round these days is as crucial as the final, you only need to look at the results from Amsterdam to see this.

What do you think of the category of U21 both for Men and Women ? What difference do you think it would make if that were changed for U18 ?

I think, all countries need to keep encouraging the youngsters to play or else the sport will die. The ICF and ECA need to ensure that there are categories for the youngsters within the sport or else they will go and do something different, considering the U21 women classes which are currently having a problem with entered teams at major championships, then we need to look at making a new class perhaps U18 I do not really know, but it is a definite problem that needs addressing. The Men U21 seems to be OK because the standard seems to stay quite high.

What of the current rules do you particularly hate ?

Hate is a strong word, I must say that generally I have never hated any of the rules, what I despise is the different interpretations taken by the referees across the world and the way some referees do not admit that they did not see something or were too slow at realising there was a foul and do not do anything to catch up.

What rule would you like to add/change ?

I would not change the rules; however I would prefer to change the refereeing standard! Perhaps we need an international refereeing team like rugby and cricket, who work together to the same interpretations and that are impartial, also I believe that this may then change the players respect for the referee!

Who do you think are the most improved Nation ?

The Irish men’s team did particularly well at the worlds, which I took great interest in, however  I think quite a few nations improved, Iran have moved on also Denmark men and Sweden played some good polo.

Let’s get gritty now.

Without prejudice, and discounting results over the last two years. What would you say is the rank for the top 6 in the world ?

I still believe that the Dutch and GB are the best two teams in the world and if we had a world series where a number of events counted to a championship you would see this. However the gap between the other teams is close and as at the worlds a number of results were close which resulted in the final between France and Italy, deservedly for both teams, but not quite the spectacle that a Dutch v GB final may have been! I believe that the top six world teams at the moment are the best and any of them on their day could win a championship.

How much do you think money could improve the sport and how much do you think money could improve the athletes ?

Money could improve the standard because it would encourage more athletes into the sport, this in turn would improve the skill level standard of the athletes and thus increase the attendance at world championships at all levels, what would be needed would be the discipline of the national squads organisers to share the money across all squads; men and women, senior and U21 and Junior.

How much does the funding effect say how the GB squad are run. Is it just an issue of funding, or how it’s managed ?

As mentioned above, it’s not just the money available but how it’s managed is very critical for the success of that nation, the money needs to be broken down into all the areas of the squad funding, you have to try and keep everyone happy! Not an easy job. What is key is that you support your management team (coaches etc) and your players for what they are there for. Generally the management team is there to support the sport and the players are there for themselves. That means money management should be concluded by an impartial authority that understands the issue. I can look at the way some nations are set up and see the some support the players well and others support the management team well, I am not sure that any nation has struck the correct balance!

Thanks very much for your time with that Paul.

© 1st December 2006